18 October 2012

So do you think Patrick Dempsey will show? Do you think the "untold story" will really be told?

The past week has been very ... strange ... in the world of cycling. I was sitting in a hotel room in Santa Fe, NM, trying to contort my body enough to get a clear internet signal on my micro laptop, when I read the news. Oh, boy. And now here we are a week later.

This isn't the first time cycling has been "brought to its knees." But I would say it's certainly the worst. The scale is bigger -- when l'affaire Festina happened 14 years ago, French housewives, Swiss milk cows and Belgian handymen were really the only ones deeply affected, and everyone got to come back and play on their bikes; this time around, the hypocrisy of the sport's governing bodies; the very, very deep rabbit hole; and indeed the "true heart of a champion" are all being revealed, in a very public way.

I'd really like to be smug right now, but the truth is, I hate it that I'm so far into this. If I've learned anything in the past week, I've learned that for the past 14 years, since I quit smoking and got healthy, since I started competing in running and then cycling, I've absorbed a catalog of scientific and corroborative puzzle pieces that are now fitting together. What really went on Inside the Postal Bus? Was it really all just about old wive's tales and spilled salt shakers? When Sheryl Crow sneezed, was that really the signal that "the vampires," the drug testers, were closing in?

The ball of twine continues to unravel, and we're far from seeing the end. The effects will be far-reaching, though I doubt even Levi has a good sense for where it will stop ...

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About Me

I'm a writer and rider, racing on the road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross. Believing in yourself and the difference you can make is the most important thing you can do. Feel free to contact me: scstrout [at] yahoo.com.